Scott Miller offers a presentation exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and the recently released film The Two Towers as war narratives at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
The program, sponsored by the University Library's Arts and Lectures program, will be held in room 3001 of the Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center on the Rohnert Park campus
A World War I veteran, Tolkien wrote "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy during the years of the Second World War, in which his sons were serving. This fact has often encouraged speculations connecting the real wars and the fictitious war in Tolkien's masterwork.
Now, with the release of Peter Jackson's second film coinciding with a potential war set to begin in the Middle East, similar speculations have arisen. In a multimedia presentation, Miller will address these hypotheses, as well as discuss various similarities and divergences between the film and the literature.
"How Tolkien's story mattered in the real world was of intense interest to the author," Miller says. "But his answers were not simple ones."
Miller is director of the Writing Center and a professor of English at the University. He is a longtime fan and student of Tolkien's work. For more information, call (707) 664-4240.
